Pages

Review: Windwitch (The Witchlands #2) by Susan Dennard

(A huge thanks to Pan Macmillan India for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.)

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

“Why do you hold a razor in one hand?So men remember that I am sharp as any edge.And why do you hold broken glass in the other?So men remember that I am always watching.”

This book focuses on Merik who I love! And his character development in this book is quite astounding. As the Goodreads summary says, Merik is at the very beginning of the book badly injured, scarred and believed to be dead. The story follows his coming to Nubrevna and looking for his killer. He discovers so much more about his Kingdom and makes discoveries that change how he looks at people and the world. I absolutely loved the friendship between him and Cam. It was so sweet and wonderful!

Iseult and Aeduan. Holy cow, that's a ship I'll die with. They were the best part about this book. The rocky, shaky relationship they forge in this book is so realistic. I enjoyed reading about their journeying together and even the little conversation they made was so wonderful!!

“This young man had stalked Iseult through Veñaza City. Had smiled cruelly at her, his crystal eyes swirling red. Then he had saved her too, in Lejna. With a salamander cloak and a single phrase: Mhe varujta. Trust me as if my soul were yours.”

I LOVED getting to know things from Vivia's point of view. In Truthwitch we knew her as a hateful sister who simply wanted power but here in Windwitch we learn so much more - her dreams, insecurities, desires and why she does what she does.

Okay, so in Truthwitch I absolutely loved Safi but wasn't that interested in her storyline this time around. Also what the heavens happened to Merik-Safi? How this ship was taken about in this book did not please me :/

It's weird that most who loved Truthwitch didn't like Windwitch as much and I'm like the #unpopularopinion who loves Windwitch more! Windwitch was more complex that the first book. There are way more PoVs here but this actually works splendidly for this book. I'm starting to think that while I hate politics in real life, I quite enjoy political plotlines in my epic fantasies. They're so much interesting and wonderfully complex. The multiple plotlines also worked really well and made the Witchlands feel so much more real and three-dimensional.

“So Merik embraced the rage. He let it course through each of his breaths. Each of his thoughts. He could use the anger to help his hungry city. To protect his dying people.For although the holiest might fall—and Merik had fallen far, indeed—they could also claw their way back up again.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Susan Dennard does imagery like no one else. The action scenes are done so damn well and it makes me wanna grab the kitchen knife and fight the air (I won't 'cause I know I'll probably end up hurting myself! I can be kind of a klutz) The dialogue is wonderful and the descriptions perfect. I would have read the book in one sitting had I not had other important work.

- Almost everything

- The current state of my ship Merik-Safi

I think it's a pretty worthy sequel to Truthwitch! It is a complex, action-filled epic fantasy and I can't wait for bloodwitch!